Scanning Probe Microscopy and Nanolithography

Welcome to the website of Prof. Dr. Thomas Schimmel's research unit "Scanning Probe Microscopy and Nanolithography" at the Institute of Nanotechnology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Nanotechnology. We focus on fabrication, analysis, properties and applications of functional nanostructures.

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The Single-Atom Transistor

 The Atomic Transistor. The controlled repositioning of one single silver atom allows for the reversible opening and closing of an electronic circuit.

Salvinia molesta
The Salvinia Effect

The floating fern Salvinia as a model for biomimetic drag reduction.

Nanocontact Printing and AFM Nanolithography

Nanoanalytics and nanolithography via AFM. Functional chemical patterns on surfaces can be written and subsequently imaged with the same AFM tip. 

(Bio)functional Nanostructured Surfaces

 Pattern formation of the nanometer scale by self-organization. An example for biofunctional films is shown.